


Buffy Driscoll is a great friend

by shipsandglitter



Category: Andi Mack (TV)
Genre: And she's very highkey done with these boys, Angst, Buffy is a good friend, Buffy talks to TJ, Buffy's POV, Canon Compliant, Flirting, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, I JUST HAVE A LOT OF FEELINGS ABOUT THE NEW EP OKAY, Idiots in Love, M/M, Mutual Pining, She figures things out, These boys need a hug, but she loves them, i think, to both Cyrus and TJ
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-02
Updated: 2019-03-02
Packaged: 2019-11-08 00:38:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,542
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17971136
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shipsandglitter/pseuds/shipsandglitter
Summary: Cyrus and TJ both need some comfort after the costume day fiasco. Buffy, being the kind person she is, obviously has no choice but to fill that role.[mostly canon compliant, based on the events of 3x13]





	Buffy Driscoll is a great friend

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, so I kinda got side-tracked from writing S&DR and this happened! I hope it's okay <3

Buffy hovered meekly by Cyrus’ side as the boy curled even further into himself, his back shaking slightly with quiet sobs. She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, not quite knowing what to do for once in her life.

It wasn’t supposed to be like this. Buffy Driscoll was  _never_ supposed to be meek or uncertain in anything she did, but right now she was at a loss for words. She hadn’t seen her friend this upset since the day he had come out to her, and even  _that_  couldn’t compare to how she felt now, watching him wipe away the tears that seemed to keep coming no matter how hard he tried. 

It was late afternoon and they were both sat on Buffy’s bed. The sun was beginning to set, and as a result the sky outside was tinged with a light shade of pink. The curtains were almost fully drawn, letting only a small sliver of natural light in. Buffy had soft music playing on her phone; she wasn’t usually one to use music as a way of filling silence, but at that moment it seemed necessary.

 _“_ Cyrus,” she began gently, before trailing off almost right away. There was no silver lining to this - she knew TJ was one of the only people who _never_ fed into Cyrus’ insecurities, so this was definitely a first. Usually, he never missed an oppurtunity to tell Cyrus how amazing he was, and he encouraged him in such an unwavering way that even _she_ couldn’t fathom it sometimes.

Buffy wasn’t blind either - TJ _adored_ Cyrus, and that had become particularly clear as of late. TJ would always look to Cyrus in a room full of people as if he were the most important person in the world, and to TJ - maybe he was. Buffy certainly thought so, but the costume day fiasco was beginning to make her doubt that slightly.

 

“I don’t know why I’m so upset,” Cyrus managed, before dipping his head again and harshly rubbing at his eyes with the sleeve of his shirt. “It’s just a stupid costume.”

 

She gently shook her head. Not even her anger towards TJ could override how much it hurt for her to see Cyrus like this.

 

“You have every right to be upset,” she said firmly, bringing a hand up again to rub soothing circles onto his back. “TJ bailed on you last minute.”

Cyrus took a deep, shuddering breath. “I just don’t get it...it’s so...”

“Not TJ?” Buffy finished, a sympathetic smile on her face.

“Yeah,” he sighed. 

Buffy nodded. “I know - usually he’d be pretty much willing to kill someone just to spend time with you. A matching costume sounds like a dream come true to him.” 

Cyrus just rolled his eyes, a tiny smile ghosting over his lips. “Not now, Buffy.” 

“Right. Sorry.” 

 

He straightened then, before flopping back against the bed with a heavy sigh. 

 

“I don’t think it’s even the costume itself, it’s just...I always feel like I’m worth something around him. Then with Kira there on costume day, I felt stupid. Like...I was replaceable.”

“You are  _not_  replaceable, Cyrus. Especially to TJ.” 

“Well...I sure feel like I am.” 

 

Buffy just shook her head, taking his hand and interlacing their fingers. She wasn’t particularly good with words in situations like these, so she hoped the action would communicate some of the things she couldn’t verbalise.

“I know.” 

 

Silence fell for a moment. 

 

“I’m gonna kill him.” 

Cyrus laughed at that and gently squeezed her hand. “Please don’t. I’d prefer him to be alive when I talk to him.”

“You’re gonna talk to him?” 

The boy shrugged as though he wasn’t fully sure himself. “Potentially.” 

Buffy scoffed. “I already know how that’ll go. He’ll give you this look-“ she let go of Cyrus’ hand momentarily and stuck her bottom lip out, widening her eyes in an effort to exaggerate one of TJ’s pleading faces. “And then your heart will melt and you’ll come running back to me like ‘you should’ve seen him Buffy! He was so sad! He was like a little puppy!’” 

Cyrus bit his lip, unable to contain a smile. “He really  _was_  sorry for the gun thing and you know it.” 

“Yeah,” she smiled back. “I know.” 

 

Cyrus looked conflicted for a moment, then he was groaning dramatically and throwing an arm over his eyes.

“But Buffy - he  _did_  look so sad!You should’ve seen him! He looked back at me while Kira was dragging him away like he was some wounded puppy dog being held against his will!” 

Buffy snorted, which earnt her a playful smack on the arm.

“I can’t believe how right I am.”

“Whatever,” Cyrus sighed, lifting his arm to look at her. “Anyone could’ve seen how upset he looked. It makes me think there was something else going on with him that I didn’t know about.” 

 

That piqued Buffy’s interest. She hadn’t considered the idea of there being another reason for TJ bailing so suddenly, but now that she thought about it...

 

“Like what?”

The boy just gave a small shrug. “No clue.” 

 

Buffy thought back to everything Cyrus had told her - Kira’s strange interest in TJ recently, her immediate shift in attitude upon discovering that Cyrus was friends with her, how upset TJ had apparently seemed on costume day.

When the soul-crushing possibility finally hit Buffy, it was like her stomach had dropped from the top of a massive cliff. Her blood ran cold, and the sudden urge to punch a wall - or Kira for that matter - was very real. The feeling was only fleeting though, disappearing the moment she saw Cyrus’ tear-stained face.

_No way. No way in hell._

 

“Cyrus...how did Kira look on costume day?”

The boy’s eyebrows furrowed. “Um...I mean...she looked pretty I guess? I don’t know why-“

“No, no, I mean - did she look happy? Or smug?

“She looked...” Cyrus hesitated for a moment, giving the Buffy an odd look. “Smug, I guess. Why?” 

Buffy squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep breath, willing herself to relax. 

 

She was genuinely at a loss as to how she hadn’t seen it earlier - Kira absolutely seemed like the type of personality to hold grudges and go to any lengths to get revenge, and hurting her friends was most certainly an efficient way of hurting Buffy. That, combined with her eagerness to join the boys’ basketball team, really wasn’t her helping her case at all.

After a few more beats of silence, Buffy tried to muster up the most convincing smile she could. The sun had fallen below the horizon by now, and the sounds of her living room clock ticking away reminded her that it was late. Cyrus didn’t need another thing to stress over - not today.

“No reason,” she ended up assuring, leaning over to give him a hug. “Just curious.” 

 

~

 

“Let me guess - you’re here to yell at me?” 

Buffy couldn’t help but scoff, but her small smile slipped the moment TJ lifted his head. He looked  _exhausted_. It was Monday now, and she had managed to catch him after his basketball practise. He was sat by himself in the giant hall, and it only served to make him look even  _smaller_  than he would’ve normally. His face seemed greyer than usual, and there faintly visible bags under his eyes.

“No, surprisingly enough,” she responded carefully, moving forward to sit next to him on the bench. “I’m here to hear you out.” 

 

TJ turned to look at her so suddenly that Buffy almost jumped.  _Almost_.

 

“Why?” 

She lifted her shoulders in a small shrug, trying to keep her gaze calm. “I wanted to know your side of the story.”

TJ just shook his head, panic written all over his face as he made to get up. “There’s nothing to explain.” 

 

Buffy grabbed his arm as gently as she could. Comforting people wasn’t her strong suit by any means, but from TJ’s reaction alone she could tell he needed it. A lot. 

 

“TJ - listen to me, okay? I’m not forcing you to talk to me right now, but...I’m here, and you kind of seem like you need it. If you do want to, I’ll try really hard not to get mad.”

A small smile came to the boy’s lips at that. “You’ll try really hard?” 

“I’ll try really hard,” she confirmed, returning the smile. “No promises though.” 

 

TJ nodded slowly, clearly turning the idea over in his head. A few moments of silence passed, then he was hesitantly sitting back down.

Buffy could tell he was nervous - he was already picking at his hoodie, drumming his fingers against his leg and looking anywhere but her. 

 

She let out a heavy sigh. “Cyrus was pretty upset on Friday.” 

The boy bit his lip before responding “I know. I saw him.” 

Buffy gestured for him to continue, and he did so with a small sigh. 

“I feel really bad. I wanted to do the costume with him, and I was going to! But...that morning I just...there was stuff and I panicked and-“

“What kind of stuff?” 

 

TJ went quiet for a moment. The unbearable heat from Friday had been replaced with rain over the weekend, and Monday wasn’t any different. The skies were dreary, and the sounds of pattering rain filled the silence around them. They were alone there, but TJ was still glancing about nervously as though he was paranoid about being overheard.

 

He mumbled something then, but it was so incoherent that Buffy didn’t catch it. 

She paused for a moment, before placing a hand on his arm. “What was that?”

“Kira said some things to me.” he mumbled again, still not willing to look her in the eye.

Buffy felt her stomach turn at the words. “What’d she say?”

“It’s not exactly what she said...it’s more what she meant.” 

 

When Buffy didn’t respond, he finally lifted his gaze to meet hers, anxiously fiddling with the hem of his hoodie.

 

“Basically...she came up to me and started talking about this costume idea she wanted to do with me. When I told her I already had one planned with Cyrus she had this look on her face like...”

He shifted his gaze back down to his lap. Buffy couldn’t help but soften slightly at the fearful look on his face, forgetting for a brief moment why she was even mad in the first place.

“Like she knew something.”

“...Oh.” 

 

Buffy had the sneaking suspicion she already knew what that something was, and the idea was only  _fuelling_  her current dislike towards Kira. 

 

“TJ...I-“

“I like Cyrus,” he blurted, maybe a little too loudly because he immediately glanced around the hall again. “And I was scared that she knew because then she could tell people and I thought if I did the costume with her she wouldn’t and-“

“TJ,” Buffy interrupted, moving her hand to his shoulder. “It’s okay.” 

His gaze snapped back up to her hers. “It is?”

“You were scared. I get it. If there’s anyone I want to yell at right now it’s  _Kira_.”

 

A small smile ghosted over TJ’s lips, but it immediately fell. “It still doesn’t change the fact that I bailed on Cyrus...he probably hates me now.”

Buffy laughed slightly. “He could never hate you.”

“...You think so?”

“I know so. He literally talks about you all the time - it’s kind of cute but also kind of annoying. Very annoying, actually.” 

TJ gave her a hesitant smile. “So you think he’d forgive me if I explained all this to him?”

Buffy nodded, returning his smile. “I think it’s definitely worth a shot. Are you planning on telling him about...you know...”

“My major crush on him?” TJ supplied.

“Yeah.” 

He thought about it for a moment, before giving a small nod. “I want to.” 

“Thank god. I’m not sure how much longer I can deal with you two.” 

TJ just rolled his eyes. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

 

“Nothing!” she assured with a bright smile, getting to her feet. “Wanna get some milkshakes at The Spoon? I think you could use one.” 

TJ took her outstretched hand, a grin on his face as she helped him up. “Yeah. Let’s do that.” 

 

~

 

Buffy really shouldn’t have been surprised when TJ and Cyrus entered the cafeteria together the following day, laughing and playfully bumping in one another as usual. They always seemed to figure out their issues, and she was thankful that this time hadn’t been an exception. 

 

Marty pointedly cleared his throat from beside her. “They seem closer than usual,” he commented.

She scoffed. “Closer than usual? I don’t think that’s possible.” 

“Fair point.” 

 

The pair approached their table, TJ’s eyes never leaving Cyrus as the boy greeted Buffy.

 

“Hey! Can we sit?”

“Well duh,” she responded, unable to contain a knowing grin. 

 

They sat down across from her and Marty, TJ’s hand right next to Cyrus’ on the table. 

 

“So what’s been going on with you two?” Marty asked them, not even trying to conceal his smirk in the slightest.

TJ’s cheeks turned a light shade of red at that, while Cyrus just gave him a bright smile. “Well, TJ bought me a muffin this morning and we hung out at the park before school.”

 

Buffy and Marty exchanged a meaningful look. 

 

“That sounds fun,” Buffy teased, raising her eyebrows at TJ. In response, he just rolled his eyes and averted his gaze.

“It was! Did you guys know that TJ is actually really good at-“ the athlete quickly tried to cover Cyrus’ mouth, but Buffy managed to catch the word ‘singing’ anyway.

“Oh  _really_? That’s great! Maybe you could sing for  _us_  sometime, TJ,” Buffy responded, her smile playful.

 

The boy gave her a death glare at that, which only served to make the smile on her face wider.

 

They eventually fell into conversation, and Buffy found herself observing all the little ways that the pair would find excuses to touch. TJ would tell Cyrus that his hair was messed up so he could reach out and lovingly brush a strand away from his eyes, while Cyrus would randomly ask TJ who’s hand was bigger so they could compare, only for TJ to interlace their fingers with a soft smile. 

It was all nauseatingly sweet, but Buffy couldn’t find it within herself to care for once. Cyrus was clearly happy and that’s all she could ever want for him. After watching him pine hopelessly after Jonah, knowing that every time he came to her with tears in his eyes that she couldn’t lie and tell him that his feelings were returned, seeing him like this was a huge relief.

TJ reciprocating her friend’s feelings was a breath of fresh air for Buffy, and she’d be damned if someone like Kira could ever get in the way of what they had. She wouldn’t allow it; for the sake of Cyrus and for the sake of her own sanity. 

 

 _These boys would be the death of her,_ she mused, watching with raised eyebrows as TJ fed some of his sandwich to Cyrus. 

 

_And she wouldn’t have it any other way._

 


End file.
